The FDNY firefighter killed while on duty in Afghanistan loved his job as a smoke-eater so much, he also volunteered as one.
Christopher Slutman, 43, was a life member of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Landover, Md. and served with the Ladderman tower company, according to the department’s website.
Kentland Chief Oleg Pelekhaty said Slutman joined the department in February 2000 and rose through the ranks to eventually become a captain.
“Through this trying time, we will remember Chris for the father, husband, brother, son, and friend that he was, the moral character he displayed daily, and the courage and conviction to serve his fellow Americans, both at home and abroad,” Pelekhaty said in a Facebook post.
The decorated 15-year FDNY veteran worked at Ladder 27 in the Bronx and was also a US Marine. He and three other Americans were killed Monday when a roadside bomb went off near the main US base in Afghanistan, sources told The Post.
Slutman was a staff sergeant in the Marines, according to Pelekhaty.
Longtime pal Tony Kelleher said Slutman’s father was also a firefighter — inspiring him to become one, too.
“He always wanted to be in the thick of things, always wanted to be busy. He basically dedicated his life to public service,” said Kelleher, 39, who met Slutman in 2005 when they were both Kentland volunteers.
Serving in the Big Apple, however, was Slutman’s “dream,” Kelleher said. In 2003, he started his career in the FDNY with Ladder 17 in the South Bronx and was transferred to Ladder 27 in 2015.
“Chris loved to serve people, and New York was the feather in the cap — to go where he could go to do the most good,” he said. “He was what they would consider a ‘fireman’s fireman.’ He was very aggressive, very assertive. If something wasn’t working, he could fix it. He was a problem solver, very good head on his shoulders, a very meticulous, well-thought-out-person. Honestly, a one-of-a-kind guy.”
Slutman was also the consummate family man.
“If there was a definition of being a good family man — as far as well-rounded father, husband, the picturesque father — that was him,” said Kelleher. “If you needed a template to be a good husband and dad, he was it.”
Slutman’s wife Shannon Metcalf Slutman filled her Facebook page with family snaps of them with their three young daughters.
“With my favorite Veteran!” she captioned one photo from 2014 showing Slutman in uniform.
Kentland’s Company 33 and Company 46 are two of the 47 volunteer fire stations that make up Prince George’s County Fire Department. Slutman served with Company 33.
Gerard Fitzgerald, the president of FDNY’s union Uniformed Firefighters Association, offered his condolences to Slutman’s family.
“A 15-year member of the department, Christopher was a distinguished firefighter who had a profound impact on both of his firehouses, Ladder Companies 27 and 17,” said Fitzgerald. “Together, all firefighters grieve the loss of our brother, Christopher, who dedicated his life to protecting the people of this city, and our nation.”
The Ladder 27 stationhouse in the Claremont section was adorned with black bunting while the flag hung at half-staff. Firefighters, including those from Ladder 17, streamed in and out on Tuesday.
Slutman is the fourth FDNY member to die while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.
Additional reporting by Kevin Sheehan